Prior art dressings which were applied for wound management have been dressings which were adapted for wound management rather than designed for such treatment. Normally, standard dressings such as the most common bandages made from gauze and adhesive tape, require changing frequently. One to two days is a long period of time for treating a wound with a single medical dressing or bandage. Accordingly, frequent changing even of inexpensive dressings significantly increases patient cost, both from the large number of bandages required and for the hospital personnel needed to change the dressing.
One form of urethane foam which has been applied as a dressing for various wounds is the Duo-DERM.RTM. dressing, which is a registered trademark of ConvaTec, a Squibb company. This urethane has an acrylic adhesive coating and negative reactions have been noted from contact of wounds with the adhesive. Additionally, the adhesive may tend to mascerate the wound. Johnson & Johnson's Ulcer Dressing also has been proposed for various wounds, but it, too, has an adhesive facing which interferes with the healing process.
What has not been available until the present time is a wound dressing material designed specifically for wound management. This dressing should be suitable for a wide range of wounds including burns, abrasions, lacerations, pressure sores, leg ulcers and both skin graft donor and recipient sites.
An ideal wound management dressing is one which is non-adherent, permeable to water vapor, carbon dioxide and oxygen. The dressing should also be capable of creating a micro-environment which keeps the wounds moist and near the physiologic temperature.